


Carry On and Then Keep Going

by flannelfeelings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 15x20 didnt happen lol, Canon Divergent, DeanCas - Freeform, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fix-It, Fluff, Found Family, Happy, Happy Castiel (Supernatural), Happy Dean Winchester, Happy Ending, Happy Jack Kline, Happy Sam Winchester, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Love, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Saileen - Freeform, post s15, the bunker, the ending we deserved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27929398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/flannelfeelings
Summary: After defeating God, Dean, Sam, Jack, Cas and Eileen try to get back to normal.Whatever normal means to them.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	Carry On and Then Keep Going

**Author's Note:**

> Man. Fuck it. I gave 14 years of my life to this show, to Dean and his story, for this? Nah. It hurts too much to even discuss it to be honest.  
> Here's the ending I would've loved to see. Or even anything close to this. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading. 
> 
> (unbeta'd, pls be nice im rlly emotional)

The smell of bacon grease smogged up the small, stainless steel kitchen. Dean worked carefully, he was particular about his bacon. Just the right amount of crispiness tightening the edges to a crunch, though pliable enough in the middle to balance out the textures.

The cold tile beneath his feet sent a chill up his spine; winter in Lebanon was cold enough to freeze your nips off on a good day, let alone icy mornings. He regretted not grabbing his slippers before leaving the bedroom this morning.

“Good morning!”

Dean craned his stiff neck sideways to greet Jack, who stood in the doorway. He was clad in his current favorite pajama set; a long sleeve green top and thick green bottoms patterned with dogs. Sam had gotten them for him after Jack decided Miracle was _his_ dog more than anyone else's, and allowed the dog to share his bed.

Under different circumstances, Dean would’ve fought him on that and wanted the dog’s company for himself. Lately though, he didn’t care. He already had someone to share his bed with.

“Mornin’ Jack.” Dean greeted him with a wave, grinning as Miracle pattered in after the boy, nuzzled up to his side affectionately.

“You’re making bacon?” Jack asked eagerly, nodding toward the stove, “What will Sam eat?”

Just as Dean was about to say, _‘that’s Sam’s damn problem’_ the taller of the trio entered the room and crossed his arms, “I’ll eat an omelette.”

Dean scoffed, “Who says I’m making you an omelette?”

Eileen appeared behind Sam and shoved past him to enter the kitchen, veering toward the coffee pot as she said, “I don’t care if he gets one, but I’m starving.”

Dean looked toward her with a smirk and quickly signed, “ _There’s always an omelette for you_.”

Eileen winked and began pouring herself a hot mug of black coffee. Sam scowled and closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head, smiling when she offered him a sip from the mug.

“Cas still asleep?” Sam inquired, running a hand through his tangled locks of slept-on hair.

Dean snorted with a shake of his head, “It’s 7:30, he’s usually not moving until at least nine.”

There was no denying that since his rescue from the empty, that had required Cas to give up his grace, he was quite the heavy sleeper. Dean wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that he hadn’t been human in a few years and wasn’t used to it, or if he’d never really had a safe enough place to lay his head and get a good night’s sleep, so now he was taking advantage of it. But he wasn’t gonna interrupt the man’s clearly much needed rest.

Dean set aside the prepared bacon and got to work on everyone’s omelettes. With the bunker being this full, he was relieved for the large capabilities of the bunker’s kitchen. It actually gave him a chance to put to use all the cooking skills he’d developed over the years. Jack came over and joined Dean at the stove, ready to presume the role of sous chef, as he’d taken to doing in the most recent months. He enjoyed learning from Dean, it seemed, though the man couldn’t figure out why. Dean could get surly when things didn’t go right, and Jack was not a natural chef.

However, they had shared more laughs than he could count doing this together, and Jack was learning at his own pace. Dean even felt comfortable letting him chop the onions and potatoes for the omelettes.

Sam and Eileen discussed a possible case a few states over, likely a poltergeist, while Dean explained to Jack how to tell when eggs are done, but not overdone. By the time breakfast was ready, Cas still hadn’t come down.

“I’m gonna go wake him up so he doesn’t miss chow time.” Dean said after he and Jack had set the table. He headed out of the kitchen and down the hall toward the bedroom.

“Cas?” Dean asked softly, pushing open the cracked door fully. The man was sprawled out on the bed, bare legs tangled in the sheets, face hidden in the gray pillows that cradled his head. All Dean could see was his ass in his black boxers and a tuft of his dark hair.

Dean approached the bed and plopped on the edge, moving closer and closer until his lips were hovering above Cas’ ear, “Soup's on.” he murmured quietly.

Gentle gestures like this, small, intimate moments had taken a little while to get used to. After they’d defeated Chuck (effectively getting rid of any concept of God) and rescued Cas from the empty, Dean knew he had to confront what happened when Cas sacrificed himself. As difficult as it was to put himself out there, Dean knew Cas deserved the truth.

It was a painful, hard, and very long conversation. There were ups and downs and talks of Dean’s father and his childhood, talks of mistakes and regrets. And then...there was a weight lifted off of his chest. There was a newfound...freedom. Whatever free will they gained when they lost God, he earned even more so after admitting to Castiel that he was in love with him too. Not like a friend, not as a brother, as a _man_.

It was scary, it was new and unfamiliar, but it was his truth. And nothing had felt better than speaking it.

But now, six months later...it was starting to feel less scary and more like coming home. Waking up to those blue eyes every morning no longer felt like an unattainable shock. Now it was more like everything he’d ever dreamed of. That is, when Cas actually wanted to wake up.

“Dean, I will kick that smirk off your face.” Cas growled into the pillows, voice rough as if he’d been gargling pebbles in his sleep. So it was gonna be one of _those_ mornings. Dean knew well-enough by now how to play it.

“Alright.” Dean shrugged and leaned back, “I guess Jack can have your bacon.”

If there was one thing a human Cas loved more than sleep, it was food.

“I’m _awake_.” Cas hissed, raising his head from the pillow with his cerulean eyes narrowed angrily at Dean. Dean chuckled and brought his hand down to slap the other man’s ass before he hopped off the bed.

“Meet ya’ in the kitchen.” Dean said, and padded down the hall toward the sounds of forks scraping plates and chatter.

Dean took his seat beside Sam and began scarfing down his own omelette, smiling a few minutes later when a disgruntled Cas appeared in the doorway, still wrapped in their comforter as the cold bunker air seemed to send a chill down his spine.

Cas held a plush item out to Dean, “You forgot your slippers.”

“Thanks.” Dean took them pleasantly and stuffed his feet into the slippers, murmuring with pleasure at the warmth. Castiel sat on his other side and began eating the plate that was prepared for him, nodding in greeting to everyone else.

Once the dishes had been done (Sam and Eileen graciously took over that duty, since Dean and Jack had cooked) everyone dispersed to their rooms to get ready for the day. Today was sort of special in that Sam was going to bring Jack and get him registered for community college. They’d fudged some fake school records for him and Sam had been studying with him for months to get him ready for his placement exams. Jack was a smart kid, he’d been nailing all of their practice quizzes, so they all knew he was ready.

Dean himself had a rather big day planned. He’d been applying for jobs here and there, trying to reach some normalcy. Sam and Eileen were still hunting on and off, but he’d cut back recently. Most of his energy had been focused on trying to get Cas oriented to human life, but more than that...he was tired. And to be honest, he was more than happy to let Sam and Eileen hunt to their hearts content. As long as they came home every time.

Today, Dean had landed himself a job interview. It wasn’t anything flashy, just working in a garage downtown. He’d get to work on cars all day, which was kind of the dream, and it would feel pretty nice to talk to other humans about regular shit. It was something he’d long yearned for. He’d had it for a bit with Lisa, but that was years ago. He’d craved that sort of normalcy his whole life.

And now that nothing was holding him back, he was gonna get it.

Cas usually perked up after breakfast and early-morning shower sex, so predictably he was very delighted to help Dean prepare for the interview. He helped him pick out an outfit; a pair of simple khakis and a white button-down. He helped him comb his hair, which was in desperate need of a cut to keep it’s uniform, military-style edges. He even handed him a manila folder with two copies of his resume (which didn’t exactly have much, just his construction job with Lisa and some odd jobs here and there) and a letter of recommendation that Charlie had written him.

The Impala rolled down the bustling streets of Lebanon cooly toward the garage, as if she wasn’t worried at all. Dean on the other hand, was nervous. He hadn’t really ever had to deal with the pressure of a job interview, and he could feel the tension stiffening his shoulders.

“Alright baby.” Dean said softly as he pulled into the garage’s parking lot, running his fingers over the wheel as he let the engine idle, “We’ve been through way worse before. Worst that could happen is I don’t get the job...right?”

The car’s engine rumbled casually, but she of course did not respond.

“Or they could find out I’m kind of a freak…” Dean muttered, glancing down at his ridiculous getup and suddenly being wracked with self-doubt.

He remembered what Cas had said to him before he left this morning: _I know it's a staple of your personality, but try not to worry Dean, you are the most intelligent, hard working man I know. Anyone who meets you will be able to see that too. And if they don’t, screw them. Someone else will before you know it._

Dean inhaled slowly, nodding once, and then killing the engine. No time like the present.

“Okay Winchester,” He said with false assuredness, “Time to nut up.”

Dean exited the car, and closed the door with a nerve-wracking feeling of finality. No going back now.

* * *

That night, Dean found himself back at the stove. It was to be a celebratory dinner. Jack had absolutely nailed his placement exams and even landed himself in a dual credit class for the first semester starting in January.

Dean was so proud of the kid, he was making his favorite dinner. It was a casserole dish Dean had thrown together one night that he didn’t feel like putting in a ton of effort; chopped chicken, bacon, onions, potatoes, green onions and cheese with a shitton of seasoning. It was something he just threw in the oven and then topped with sour cream when it came out sizzling. Jack would go through three servings of it himself.

As far as the interview...Dean genuinely couldn’t tell which way it had gone. He was constantly doubting himself any time he answered a question, wondering if it came off stupid or too intense, wondering if they could tell he’d never been a normal man. The only times he’d been absolutely certain he was answering right were the questions about actually fixing cars, and when he’d taken the manager outside and they discussed the Impala for a good fifteen minutes. Sam had told him that was a good sign, but really, what did Sam know? He’d never been normal either.

Dean startled a bit as he felt sturdy arms wrap around his waist, and a familiar face rest in the dip between his shoulders. Dean smiled a bit and leaned back against Cas, who murmured contently.

“Smells delicious.” Cas said.

Dean chuckled, “I’m starting to think you only like me for my cooking.”

“It’s the main reason. But you’re good in bed too.”

“Well, at least there’s that.” Dean rolled his eyes and turned around to face Cas, leaning against the oven and stealing a quick kiss.

Castiel reached up and ran the pads of his fingers along Dean’s cheekbone. Dean’s hand came up and caught his fingers lightly, before he leaned in and pressed gentle, tender kisses to each of Cas’ knuckles. Cas smiled and his eyes closed as he let out a soft sigh of pleasure.

“How are you feeling?” Cas inquired with a small hint of concern in his tone, “About today?”

Dean shrugged, chewing on his lower lip as he studied their intertwined hands, “I dunno, really. Not sure if I did good or not. But uh...either way, it was pretty cool.”

“What was?” Cas now looked confused.

“Just...I was really nervous.” Dean let out a small huff of a laugh, “I was _nervous_ Cas, about a job interview. Um...and that felt kinda silly but it also felt good, you know? It’s been a long time since the worst possible outcome of something was that someone said no.” Dean paused, thinking for a moment, “Actually, it’s been _forever._ I just felt like a normal guy for a second. And I can’t really explain how _good_ that felt.” He shrugged gently, pursing his lips, “I think even if I don’t get it, that’s okay. ‘Cause for once, I’m finally starting to feel like things are gonna be okay.”

Cas’ lips pulled up at the corners, his eyes crinkling with that genuine, joyful smile he sometimes got when he looked at Dean. It made the other man’s cheeks feel warm and made him want to look at his feet until the moment passed, but it also felt pretty damn nice to have someone look at him like his presence made their life better. Like he mattered more than anything.

“I am so happy that I get to be here to see you become the man you deserve to be.” Cas murmured, “I think things really will be okay.”

“I love you, Cas.” Dean said softly, still feeling too shy to meet his eyes fully.

Cas took Dean’s chin in his hand, firmly but tenderly, forcing their eyes to meet. His smile didn’t falter, “I love you too, Dean.”

They both moved in at the same time, and just as he had when their lips first touched after freeing Cas from the empty, Dean felt a jolt of electricity all the way down to his toes. Cas’ hands on his face and caressing his neck were so easy to melt into. He felt safe, and protected and for the first time in forever, loved unconditionally.

He’d known it deep down for a long time, but he was finally glad he had admitted it. To him, Cas was home. This was forever.

“Y’all are nasty, this is a kitchen.”

Both men broke apart and glanced sideways as Sam entered the kitchen with a teasing scowl. Eileen and Jack trailed in after him, involved in a discussion about the mythology class he’d enrolled in. Miracle followed after, seeming to sense the good mood in the group.

“Oh, so we have to deal with you and Eileen loudly testing the bed frame out at midnight but I can’t tongue the angel in my own damn kitchen?” Dean growled, but there was no real malice in his voice.

“ _Ex-_ angel,” Sam replied with a wink.

“Better than ex blood junkie.” Cas teased and Sam flipped him the bird, but he was laughing. 

“In my defense,” Eileen cut in, “I have no gauge for _loudly_.”

“Oh no,” Dean shook his head and turned to pull the casserole out of the beeping oven before he turned back to her and said, “I’m not talking about _you_.”

Jack cleared his throat noisily, cocking his head to the side as if he’d never been more ready for a conversation to end, “Dean, is dinner finished?”

The adults muttered amused apologies for making the kid uncomfortable, and Dean topped the casserole with one extra helping of cheese before grabbing the plates. Cas joined him at the counter to help dole out the servings, while Sam got up from the table and began throwing together a quick salad at the island.

Before long, they were all seated around the table again, passing bread and salad around, glasses clinking and muttered noises of enjoyment as they plowed through the casserole.

Laughter and teasing filtered through the kitchen, light, playful, _happy_. It was something Dean was growing used to as time passed and things stayed steady and good. It was still unbelievable at times, but it was becoming closer to feeling like reality.

Maybe after all the years of pain and struggle they’d finally gotten to a place where they could be happy. Maybe they’d started to figure it out.

Dean was broken. He was broken badly. But so was Cas. So was Sam, so was Eileen and Jack. Maybe even Miracle a little.

They didn’t have to fix themselves though. It was okay to be broken sometimes, because they had each other. They had a place to call home, people to lean on and laugh with, they had a family. And until the day he finally died, Dean knew he’d always remember his surrogate father’s sage words from many years ago.

Family don’t end with blood.

Their family was bigger than either Winchester had ever expected, or could’ve possibly hoped for. And it was the best outcome they could’ve possibly asked for.

Just as Dean was about to remind Jack how proud he was of the boy for starting school, his cellphone rang across the kitchen. He cursed himself quietly; usually he remembered to shut off the ringer before dinner time. It was a house rule; no distractions while they ate together. Dean and Sam had coveted enough unattainable family meals in their lifetime to appreciate the ones they got.

“Sorry.” He said quickly, and got up to go send whoever it was to voicemail.

“Wait, Dean, what if it’s the job?” Sam shook his head, “Take it.”

He was right. Dean glanced at the unfamiliar number, then back to the table. Cas gave him a loving and reassuring smile, and Jack tossed him a thumbs up. He met Eileen's eyes, and she had a mix of pride and hope in them. It was encouraging. 

Dean stepped out of the room and answered, “Hello?”

“Mr. Winchester? This is Herb.” It was the gruff voice of the garage owner.

“This is Dean.” Dean greeted him pleasantly, though he was a little nervous. The man had been pretty brash the entire interview, but that wasn’t exactly surprising. He could be a little bit of a brute himself at times.

“Hope I didn’t interrupt dinner.” Herb said, “But I wanted to let you know, if you’re interested, we’d like to bring you aboard. I think you’ve got skills that would really, really be a big help over here.”

Dean felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Had he really done it? He’d gotten an honest-to-god job? And doing something he _loved?_

“That’s amazing, thank you so much sir. Yes, of course I’ll take it.”

“Great, why don’t you head over around 7 on Monday morning? We’ll get you all set up.”

Dean could barely contain his excitement, but he played it cool, “Sweet. Thank you so much.”

“No problem. See ya’ Monday.”

“See you Monday.”

The call disconnected, and Dean let out one trembling, shocked breath. His back hit the wall in the hallway, and he covered his hand with his mouth, trying to contain himself.

“Dean?” Sam poked his head out of the kitchen doorway, “Hey, everything good?” His eyes were cautious, unsure how the call had gone given Dean’s clearly shocked state.

“I got it Sammy.” Dean managed, “I got the job. I’m gonna be a mechanic.”

“Oh, Dean.” Sam moved forward and the brothers embraced quickly, Dean nodding and trying to blink the wetness from his eyes.

He didn’t even know why this had him so emotional. It was just a job, after all. But it was something more too. It was the beginning of a life where he got up, worked a 9-5, and went home to someone who loved him.

Maybe the path to get here had been insane and horrifying and more painful than anything he could’ve imagined, and maybe the end result wasn’t quite what he’d pictured growing up. But here he was, employed, in love, surrounded by family. Fucking normal.

It was a far cry from the bloody, agonizing, young death he’d always expected for himself.

“You did it, Dean.” Sam patted his back roughly as they pulled away, beaming at his older brother, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Me too Sam.” Dean felt himself smiling in response, “We did it.”

Their eyes held for a bit longer, and then Sam nodded once, glancing at the entryway, “Let’s get back in there. Food’s getting cold.”

Dean moved to follow him toward the kitchen, pausing and touching Sam’s arm briefly. Sam turned to face him, confusion written across his face.

“Yeah?” Sam inquired.

“Um...I just wanted to say thanks.” Dean told him, “All those years ago, when I came to get you at Stanford. Well, I guess, thanks for not making me do it alone. Any of it.”

Sam’s expression melted into a somber, affectionate one, “You don’t have to thank me, Dean. You’ve taken care of me my whole life. I think we’ve proven that together...we can do anything.” he half-smiled, “Even find a normal life.”

“Damn right we can.” Dean smiled too, and they both headed for the kitchen, where just a few short steps away, their family and the rest of their lives awaited.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is boopernatural if you want to request some fics or talk about how we love supernatural which ended at s5 swan song :)


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